FIG. 1 discloses a preexisting apparatus for making (finishing) toothbrushes. Pairs of toothbrushes 10 are secured to blocks 12. The toothbrushes are in nearly their final state of manufacture at this point with bristles secured to the heads of the toothbrushes. A chain 14 periodically advances blocks 12 in the direction of an arrow 16.
A group of five cutters 18 are each used to trim or cut a subgroup of bristles on each brush to their specified length. A group of seven end-rounders 20 are used to round off the cut free ends of various subgroups of the bristles. Chain 14 advances all of toothbrushes 10 until they are properly positioned over a respective cutter or end-rounder.
A plow or fork (not shown) is then inserted into the bristles of some, but not all, of the toothbrushes which are adjacent to a cutter or end-rounder. The plow bends some of the bristles on a brush out of the way so that other bristles on the brush can be trimmed or end-rounded as the case may be. A platform (support) 22 is then raised to bring the cutters and end-rounders into contact with the bristles which are to be trimmed or end-rounded. It takes about 0.75 seconds to raise all the cutters and end-rounders.
After the bristles are trimmed or end-rounded, platform 22 is lowered to distance the cutters and end-rounders from the bristles. Chain 14 then advances to move the toothbrushes to the next cutter or end-rounder in the finishing process. Although not shown, after the toothbrushes receive a final-end-rounding at the right-most end-rounder in FIG. 1, they are removed from chain 14 and packaged. These toothbrushes are replaced in blocks 12 by new unfinished toothbrushes which have yet to be trimmed and end-rounded.
A problem with this arrangement is that during the time platform 22 is being raised and lowered, no end-rounding is being done on the bristles. Further, while chain 14 is advancing the toothbrushes into and out of a certain end-rounding station, no end-rounding is being done on the bristles. As a result, more aggressive end-rounding must be done during the limited time available to end-round the bristles. This requires plows (forks) to be inserted into the bristles at five of the seven end-rounding stations.